I have old prusa i3 that needs to be udgraded keeping most of the same parts. I also think it would be cool if i printed everything including the frame (pla) using my larger printer. Like all in one print somehow. Any ideas?
Not sure what is the question here.
But I will go with other filament like ABS or PETG for frame part(especially part near hotend, heated bed and stepper motor)
I thought for the frame pla would be best because of its stiffness.
PETG outperforms PLA or ABS in this instance. It is as rigid as PLA, way stronger than either ABS or PLA and can take more heat. However unless you print parts that are really beefy, even plywood or MDF will be stiffer.
PLA has less elasticity than PETG so PETG is actually is not as rigid. I would still agree that it’s better than PLA or ABS but I would recommend Alloy 910 from Taulman3D.
@Adam_Steinmark why wouldn’t you go with the most rigid?
@Dovid_Teitelbaum PLA is one of the lowest temperature filaments and can deform if it gets too hot which could easily happen on longer prints if the printer has direct sunlight on it. PETG is stronger than ABS but also comes with a bit more elasticity. Alloy 910 has a higher tensile strength than PLA and only a bit more elasticity as it was specifically designed as an FFF filament for use creating mechanical parts. If you really need as low elasticity as possible you could try polycarbonate filament but with it’s incredibly low elasticity it’s almost like glass.
@Adam_Steinmark but vibrations is also one of the no nos in a frame…
@Dovid_Teitelbaum Well Alloy910 will absorb the most vibration of the polymers we were talking about, polycarbonate also does very well at absorbing kinetic energy which is why it’s used in bulletproof glass. Nylon would absorb more than Alloy 910 but isn’t rigid enough. Maybe Nylon 680 but Alloy 910 has much higher tensile strength. Alloy 910 is probably the best material.